Legend of Zelda: Seven Years Revolt
by Tales of Gray Wolf
Summary: SHORT/PROMO Version. After losing his family and friends to the Calamity Hex, Link is placed into sanctuary for seven years with the help of a guardian relic. To save the world, he has to make a harsh decision and sacrifice for Hyrule's Light, by revolting against the corrupted Kingdom ruled under servants of the Calamity King: The Four Swords.
1. Meeting Link of Nightmares

**Author Note** : To patiently wait for, and celebrate, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, I improvised this a few months ago. The idea of doing a Zelda series keeps entering my mind. But, I don't have the time to do a complete novel and I have too much to do as it is. Therefore, this is a digest (short or compressed) version of this idea in the making; there will be a few parts, this first part/chapter being the longest. I'll do a full series if _only_ there's a big reception.

* * *

"What is that soul you have? Something about you is unlike the others."

Everywhere the eyes looked was dark. Looming out of thick, misty shadows was a stout and tall figure. The heavy footsteps, the glint from his armor, and the bloodied tone of his hair flowing over his shoulders, made standing within the shadowy world's presence more petrifying. Upon first impression, it was a devil that was approaching, striding through the dark like it was his habitat.

"You resonate something that I both detest, and relish as well." The man's rigid jaw, lodged within his deep scowl, trembled from a chuckle. The sensation one could feel from his voice was omnipotence, echoing deep from a fallen God that rose from the abyss. That voice was directed towards another; the man approached a blonde-haired boy, who was of far shorter stature and completely stripped of any garb, shield, and weapon. Despite that, the boy leaned back far to look up. Defiance emerged from his eyes even as he faced a demon.

"All of it. It's your entire fault." The menacing man reproached with composure, folding his arms over his chest as he looked down at the boy. A minor observation made him curious; even in this darkness, the small blonde boy still looked robust, not buckling from the clear juxtaposition of the two.

The man, the red-maned demon, sighed and turned to look elsewhere. "Old woman, you may be protected for seven years, but after those seven years, I will destroy your hope." He rambled.

It was then the darkness dispersed. Light broke through.

* * *

"Hey Link, wake up!"

The boy's eyes swiftly flew open, his ears catching the melody of cheery voices calling a name. The first thing he saw was a spread of sunlight illuminating a wooden ceiling. He rose up and rubbed his eyes. His body was warm; he noticed that he was covered in silk sheets; after a look around, seeing short pine shelves with books, a table, and a window, the boy registered that he was his room. He spun out of his bed, and a chill went up his legs when his feet touched the floor. He breathed to regain himself, and then he went to the lattice window where the sunlight beamed from. Looking out and then below, he saw a group waving at him from ground level.

"Link!"

"Hey buddy!"

"Come on shrimp! Let's get some breakfast, and then we have to get our bread back."

Karane, Pipit, Fledge, Illia and Talo were a group of friends, well known for their close-knit association with the boy called Link.

Link of Fyrn – a relatively quiet boy who was, according to the residents of his village, known for his love of collecting stones, his heavy blonde bangs and, more importantly, his dauntless heart. Some only called it the inevitable recklessness that emerged from his youth, while others believed it to be something more. He's known to rarely turn down those in need, and for a small youngling, he accumulated his respect for showing his determination, which in turn became flexibility. The flexibility in what he was capable of doing.

Lately, Link was now known for having weird nightmares; nightmares about the world in darkness and the dark red-haired man. Link thought of that dark giant to be an alpha of the Denizens, demons of the dark plane said to encase the sins of all things living. He always had this dream because the Fyrn Tribe, an agrarian group that lived in the southern Grand Plateau had folklore describing a great disaster and tumultuous wars. A Ragnarok scribed as the end of the world. Indeed, ballads of the Fyrn's forest dress and their swiftness echoed through the years as something to admire, and to fear.

The Fyrn – Hylia's descendants that took to the herd-hunt life not only as a reply to cheap, independent economics, but to police the outer walls and to mediate Hyrule's outland races since the civil wars. They were one of many clans like that; the Fyrn lived in heavy forests in particular. These clans used to be knights that protected the King and his people descended of Hylia. Believing in this, they were said to born with a courage that made them traverse anywhere and survive long. Wielding bow and blade in hands that were not inept, they were also the slayer of evil beasts. It was also said that they protected Hyrule from poverty and drought, and even the wrath of spirits. Their law was to defend the helpless.

That was their Way. Was it a coincidence that they wore green? But in times of mostly peace, everything from Hyrule's lore only felt like a riveting tale. The Temple of Hōrológion – the building of Time – existed, but despite that, it was still tales.

* * *

Illia was only good with agriculture, not harming an animal, but the others loved to venture out in the plains with their horses, use their bow, swords, and boomerangs.

And, chase down Bokoblins. Large fanged bipedal pigs many called them, adopting the manners of monkey and man to survive in the wild. They were mostly seen as ogres due to their plump stomachs, ugly faces, and clumsy tromps. They appeared in different sizes.

"Come back here you stinkin' thieves!" cried Pipit as he spurred his horse. He, along with Karane, Fledge, another swordsman, and Link were pursuing a group of Bokoblins across a wide grassland in the Plateau. Those ogres mounted giant Bullbos, horned boars that were heavy enough to carry both the riders and the loot that they reap. This time, they crept into the Fyrn village and made way with barley and meat, even smashing holes into Illia and Karane's gardens with their clubs.

"We'll chase them even if the sun goes down." Pipit's heart was set aflame from remembering the damage the Bokoblins caused. Same goes for Link. His horse sped ahead of the others.

"Be careful Link, don't be reckless!" cried out the pudgy Fledge in earnest. Out of Link's close knit group, Fledge was known to be the most sheepish. He dragged back his horse a little, hoping secretly in his heart that he didn't have to go in close. He was the type of friend who felt like he'd become a burden to the others, and needed more training. However, he was easily astonished by other Fyrn warriors. He looked up to Link, despite him being a little younger.

Link rushed up to the middle ogre, the one at lead, riding the largest Bullbo. The thieves' chief was told apart from the rest; combined with its sturdy ashen flesh, it wore a tall, visorless iron helm, and metal plates were laced over its limbs and stomach. As Link approached the chief's Bullbo, he ignored that the rider held a long shaft ending with a large axe blade. The leader Bokoblin looked over his shoulder, snorted, and swung the blade wide. The axe passed right over Link's horse, Epona. The saddle was without a rider; Link clenched onto Epona's saddle reins and girth strap while hanging horizontally from the abdomen. Then, he swung back up and lunged with one arm.

"Here!" Link grabbed the giant Bullbo's reigns, and with a strong yank, he steered both boar and rider into a half circle. The shock of it all forced the steed to a halt. A fiery eye from the Chief Bokoblin looked fixedly at the small Fyrn, shaking with fury. Perhaps it was fear. Now, Link and the Chief faced one another; the other Bokoblins surrounded them both. Link's friends stopped their pursuit to watch.

Pipit laughed. "I can't get how he does it! Boy, he's a tough shrimp."

"That strength is inhuman!" said Karane. "He must be heaving Goron rocks in his sleep. What's his secret?"

Fledge sweated and he clasped his hands together in nervousness. "W-w-wow."

Link, boar reign in hand, didn't break his glower from the intimidating looking Bokoblin leader. "Return our food."


	2. Invasion

**Invasion Day**

"The stones and branches are reacting. They are burning with resent, malice. The Calamity Hex is coming."

"Elder, that's not true!"

Within the agrarian tribes and each village, there was an elder ruling as a shaman, trained to institutionalize the villagers with Hyrule folklore, medicine, and coming of age. They said to have the ability to talk with spirits, enter a deep state of sleep and see visions, and they honor the Temples, including the Temple of Time. They also speak of tales of the Denizens.

"Denizens? No way!"

There was tension within the gathering. It could've been easily dispersed by skepticism, but surely enough, the Fyrn saw the nature around them reacting. To witness the harsh voice of the wind rustling the forest, and the wild beasts breaking from their lairs, the emotion of fear began to set in. In attempt to rouse the town and turn them towards the positive direction, Pipit would state that they would face whatever came to them. Some believed the passionate warrior; however, the threat felt real. No, it was something they didn't want to come. Among the group of villagers, the young silent Link gave the elder a brazen look. His thoughts were pragmatic and he felt everyone's apprehension. In his heart, because of his strange dreams, Link felt that there was something on its way and that he must face it.

The tales of the Denizens echoed through generations. They were creatures of the dark that slaughtered flesh and soul without thought. As if their own flesh and souls were void of anything, they suitably looked like hunched beings black as ink. Like beasts, they wanted to course the land on hands and feet. That is what the tales had told, but no one alive had seem them in existence.

Before the sun turned full cycle, the sky grew dark. A murk covered the sky, and slowly rolled down like a blanket unfurling from a mother's arms. The Fyrn wasn't sure on how to react; the black murk slowly crawled in like a wave, stretching towards the village, and something jumped out. A shocking scream lifted into the air. Everyone looked in the voice's direction, and saw one of the villagers, his body, bend in a far angle before dropping to the ground. Creatures stood over him. Tall, thin, fingers ending in claws. Fog-like scarves flowed from their necks. Wavy hair. They were like silhouettes with beacons for eyes.

The Denizens.

"Run! To the temple!" That was the elder's last warning.

Time passed. Some tried to fight back, but end up being swallowed by the darkness. The village disappeared into the blanket of deep, black fog. Pipit and Link were the only ones left, and while being pursued, they reached the end of a cliff. They could see over the plain, the Temple looming far a distance. Link was shoved off the cliff, caught an updraft and deployed his sailcloth, flying over a thicket.

"For a shrimp, you're sure tough I gotta tell ya." A grin showed resolute truth in his words, but Pipit's voice had a hint of doubt. It was from within himself. He always praised his little friend, but the Calamity was the ultimate test of his courage.

He sheathed his sword against he Denizens. He couldn't save Karane.

What of Link?


	3. Seven

**Seven**

He remembered little. His body and mind, however, had a memory of the sensations called peril and desperation. He has hunted boars and stared at evil creatures straight in their eyes, but it was nothing like the mass of darkness that swept the forests, the fields, his friends, and chased him to the ends.

When Link woke up, the first thing that he saw was a large hand flat on a dull, nacre surface. He did not recognize the hand. Adding to his confusion, a voice surrounded him.

"Welcome to the Libra Temple. The Temple of Justice, Time, and Balance. It is also called the Temple of Weight and the Temple of Horologion. The surface people gave it many names."

The boy of Fyrn quickly rose to his feet and looked around. Built around him were intricate stone walls; a nave behind him lead to a tall door, and light seeped through the concaved lantern far above his head. Link stood in the middle of an ivory basilica; right before his eyes were stairs leading to a ringed structure merged with parabolic, weighted scales. Chiseled on the wall behind said structure was a familiar sight – the winged symbol of the goddess Hylia. Now Link realized that he made it to the temple after all. Standing a small distance between Link and the scales was a cloaked figure sitting on top of a pedestal.

"Hyrule, in every age, is a land is reduced to turmoil." The delicate hymns came from a male's voice, clearly from the cloaked one. "Just like Feudal times, the tribes entwine in a struggle of submission and power, seeking order. Hyrule, and the life within it, always faces adversity. Yourself included."

Link blinked, trying to discern the storyteller. Somehow, despite the confusion, and what he had gone through, he felt at ease. Little was known about the figure; the most peculiar features were the scarlet irises darting from underneath its hood, and the eye symbols adoring the cloak. His mouth was covered; nestled underneath the hood were long strands of white hair.

"Your eyes look to ask my identity – I am Kuwaka. I am one of the Shadow Folk tasked to protect the goddess, her descendants and her promise. Brave One who carries the Ring of Destiny. Do you know why you're here?"

Link shook his head and lifted his hand to his face to see the diamond ring, the same one he clutched right before the massive Hex swallowed the temple. That was when he blacked out; he definitely recognized the ring, but it was worn on an over-sized hand with long, slender fingers.

"The darkness is truly strong," Kuwaka said. "Chaos comes to challenge us with adversity once more. It strikes so strong that it had to await seven years." Despite the cloaked man's cryptic way of speaking, Link looked down and saw that the ground further down than usual. He saw his feet, he saw his green garb, but his body felt different.

"Yes, chaos enters the world, breaking the chains of servitude and the only calm is the new royalty of Hyrule. In those seven years, the darkness formed its feudal desire. Seven days, seven nights, seven years. Hero, it has been long. It's been seven years and it now time for our prayers to be answered. "

 _Seven years? Am I big?_ Link could not fathom his thoughts. He wanted to find a lake surface and look at his reflection. Why and how would that much time past? Link then collapsed to the ground, his body held down not by injuries, but by the weight of disillusion.

"How did seven years past?" Link asked weakly. "What does this mean? What happened to everyone else?"

"Be strong Hero. It is Hyrule's adversity. As things are not always straight, it is her time to fight for what she desires again. One side cannot hold onto its legacy forever. The Calamity King also has a place in time for his own legacy. He too has devoted people; using seven years, the demons violate the land and take it as their own. Like every life, they too have spirits of desire."

"The devotion of the Calamity King?" Link lifted his head, looking up at Kuwaka.

"There is the Sacred side. In this side, the Calamity King and his tribe are removed from the surface, the blight from his world and bringing peace."

Listening to the cloaked man, Link managed to get onto his knees. While he still did not understand why he grew from his youth, he listened carefully.

"And then, there is the Shadow side."

"The Calamity King's side?"

"Indeed. In this side, the Hero dies and the Calamity King rules the land as the true emperor. The Denizens consume the world, which is purged and changed into a new 'peaceful' land."

"A 'peaceful' land? How is creating fear and darkness 'peaceful'?" Link looked down at his hand and squeezed it into a fist. "Forcing me to take sanctuary here for seven years." That was when he rose onto his feet. Indeed, his Fyrn friends ran in terror; he saw someone get killed in front of him; the earth shook, the flora was consumed by decay, monsters invaded the woods, and it was overall horrible.

"I would never want the Shadow side win." Link wanted some payback; in the back of his head, he recalled his question as to why this all happened. He wanted to turn around, open the temple doors, and seek an answer. He wanted to see the results of the seven years, and wondered if the Plains contained anything he could recognize for him.

"A good choice," said Kuwaka. "I figured you would. It seems that you have your family and friends in mind too. However…"

"However?"

"You cannot reunite with them."

"Ah?!"

"The side you choose. There are those you cannot save."

"What do you mean?""

"It is a hard choice. Even on the side of Light, you carry the burden of unable to save others. That is the way of the Temple of Weight. But, there are others to trust you."

Link held in his breath and closed his eyes. Pressure welled up in his chest. His hands shook and his tears wouldn't come; instead, his resent was let out in a hiss.

Before Link left the Libra Temple for a small quest to test his bravery, the Shadow Folk offered him an old Knight's Sword and wooden shield. After the quest, and the true departure to obtain the Sacred items and open the Sacred Realm, Link was given another bizarre question.

"Do you want the Four Swords to win? They joined the Dark Thief, or perhaps the term is "surrendered"? Yes, this is also balance. Within all that is justice and holy, there are black lambs."

The King of Hyrule's new four generals: The dark hearted typhoon, Vaati; the shriveled sorceresses, Koume and Kotake; the shadow within Swamp and Desert, Marivor. Serving Hyrule, their intentions create the burden upon Link. However, as figures who serve the darkness and corrupt the light, they must be stopped.


End file.
